Southern California -- this just in

Taking over a police department is no easy task

August 1, 2010 | 2:53
pm

When Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies moved into Maywood a month
ago to fill in for the city's disbanded police force, they were shocked
to find 80 reports of suspected child abuse that had seemingly gone
uninvestigated by local police.

But after Romero directed deputies to the sites of the alleged abuses,
officials were relieved to learn that the cases had been looked at —
they just hadn't been cleared and filed away in the rush before Maywood
abruptly closed its police force.

The initial confusion, Romero said, speaks to the challenges of
suddenly and unexpectedly assuming law enforcement responsibilities and
taking over unfinished police work. It's a scenario that has become
increasingly apparent on the sprawling department's radar as
municipalities across the county consider outsourcing public safety.

Amid fiscal problems, Pomona, Sierra Madre and other L.A. County cities
are talking about following Maywood's lead and dropping local policing
in favor of sheriff's patrols. Cudahy, which was patrolled by Maywood
police, is now also relying on the Sheriff's Department.

Photo: Deputy Jose Esparza files a stolen-vehicle report for Maywood
residents Angelina and Jose Martinez. The L.A. County Sheriff's
Department took over patrols in the city July 1 after its police
department was disbanded. Credit: Christina House / For The Times